Connect with us

Guy Who Walks 20 Miles To Work Everyday Gets His Own Ride

Employee who walked 20 miles to get to work on time
gets his very own ride.

Walter Carr decided that he would walk all the way to a client’s house for his first day on his new job at a moving company instead of calling in late or that he wouldn’t be able to come because his car broke down.

All 20 miles of it.

The Alabama college student started at nearly midnight from his neighborhood of Homewood, Alabama going to Pelham, and his phone told him it would take several hours on foot.

“I’ve never been that person that gives up,” said Carr, 20. “I’ve just never seen myself doing that. I can only be defeated if I allow myself do be defeated,” told CNN.

He reached Pelham by 4:00am, but still had quite a way to go to reach the home of his first client, Jenny Lamey.

Police officer Mark Knighten was in his patrol car when he saw Carr sitting at a curb, trying to catch his breath. He pulled over to see what was going on.

“Less than a minute from hearing his story, we were like, wow, this kid seems determined,” Knighten told CNN.

The police officer took Carr to breakfast and even a take out for lunch, then at a local church so he could have a rest before his 8:00am shift.

A few hours later, Carr was on his way to the home of Lamey when word got around and another officer spotted him and took him to the Pelham home he needed to go to.

Lamey was blown away at Carr’s grit, even refusing to rest first because he got to her house early.

“I just can’t tell you how touched I was by Walter and his journey,” she said in a Facebook post that has since gone viral.

“He is humble and kind and cheerful and he had big dreams!” the post read. “He is hardworking and tough. I can’t imagine how many times on that lonely walk down 280 in the middle of the night did he want to turn back. How many times did he wonder if this was the best idea. How many times did he want to find a place to sit or lie down and wait ’til morning when he could maybe get someone to come pick him up and bring him back home. But he walked until he got here! I am in total awe of this young man!”

The company Carr was starting work for, Bellhops, got wind of his story and CEO Luke Marklin couldn’t have been more impressed with Carr’s “determination and character.”
“We are a company that is trying to change a broken, not customer-friendly industry,” Marklin said. “We’re trying to transform that with a lot of heart and a lot of grit. And when I read that story on Sunday I was blown away, and I couldn’t think of a better story of what this company is all about.”
Marklin decided that the only impediment to Carr’s dedication was reliable transportation, so he did what he felt was right.
He gave the 20-year old his own 2014 Ford Escape.
“It seemed like the car was going to be put to a lot better use,” Marklin said. “He’s just awesome. He’s our role model.”
There’s so far been a GoFoundMe campaign to help the young man with other expenses, and Carr is more than thankful.
“I’m still in shock,” Carr said. “I thank him [Marklin] … I thank everyone for taking their time to listen to my story.”